This year’s IBM’s TechXchange Conference takes place on October 21-24 at the Mandalay Bay – Las Vegas. More than 5,000 technical attendees will be on-site to engage, network and attend the more than 1,000 sessions, demos, instructor-led labs and roadmap discussions.
The Open Mainframe Project will be featured as part of the Community Day being held on Monday, October 21. Whether it is Zowe, Galasa, Mentorship, Mainframe Open Education, COBOL Programming Course, Feilong, Software Discovery Tool, or others…there will be something for everyone.
Register using Open Mainframe Project’s link and receive a 30% discount. Click here: https://ibm.co/3KbeObO
Schedule:
| Time | Room 1 (South), Jasmine E, Level 3 | Room 2 (South), Jasmine F, Level 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 am | Link Open Mainframe Project’s Room 1 schedule to your IBM TechXchange agendaClick here Open Mainframe Project - Room 1 (South), Jasmine E, Level 3 | Link Open Mainframe Project’s Room 2 schedule to your IBM TechXchange agendaClick here Open Mainframe Project - Room 2 (South), Jasmine F, Level 3 |
| 11:30 am | How to test your app or solution on Open Mainframe Project’s new mainframeAbstract: Open Mainframe Project now has a z15 Mainframe system dedicated for training next generation talent and the development of new open software technologies in ways that will further strengthen the integration of mainframe and cloud. In this session, John Mertic will give a demo of the capabilities of the new mainframe and what it will mean for projects like Zowe, COBOL Check, GenevaERS and the COBOL Programming Course. John Mertic, Open Mainframe Project | |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch time | |
| 1:00 pm | Shared Threats: Web Appliction Vulnerabilities and the z/OS EnviromentAbstract: Over the years mainframe developers have seen fit to make almost everything a web app. From Abend Aid to z/OSMF, there’s no avoiding web apps on your mainframe. Even internally as companies modernize their mainframe, they’re opening web APIs and web pages for other systems to consume and with the growing presence of web applications on mainframes, new risks are introduced. Unfortunately, the threats that exist for these web-based environments may be lurking in the shadows of the unexamined mainframe as well. This talk will explore some well-established approaches to web app penetration testing methodology, cover several of the most frequently seen vulnerabilities, and discuss how these vulnerabilities could potentially lead to a compromise of the z/OS environment. Vulnerabilities covered in this talk will be based on OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities with a z/OS twist. Michelle Eggers, NetSPI | Architecting and Implementing DevOpsAbstract: DevOps practices, along with technologies like Git, have revolutionized the way software development is done, especially in terms of collaboration, automation, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD). Legacy SCM systems often lack the flexibility, scalability, and collaborative features required in modern software development environments. Migrating from legacy SCM systems to Git-based DevOps environments may involve challenges such as data migration, tool integration, and cultural shifts within the organization. However, the benefits far outweigh the challenges, as it empowers teams to innovate faster, improve productivity, and deliver software with greater reliability and quality. Vicom Infinity, A Converge Company, will present and discuss their client experiences. Len Santalucia, Vincent Terrone, and Greg Powiedziuk, Vicom Infinity, A Converge Company |
| 1:30 pm | Customer Success Stories with Zowe – Joe Winchester, IBMAbstract: A number of mainframe customers are using Zowe for scenarios from education, DevOps, automated testing, Db2 administration, through to ad-hoc scripting to create custom dashboards. This talk will cover a number of these, and include customer quotes (with recorded videos from customers) and is built around successful use cases and stories to show why 85% of mainframe shops report they are using Zowe and the scenarios that resonate and find success in the field. Joe Winchester, IBM | Reflections on Open Source LeadershipAbstract: This talk discusses the challenges and successes of leading an open source project such as the Open Mainframe Project. What would we like our leadership to do? How would we like them to see the world differently? Donna Hudi - Phoenix Software; Holly Cummins - Red Hat; J.J. Lovett - Broadcom; and Sudharsana Srinivasan - IBM |
| 2:00 pm | Streamline your Zowe Experience: From Installation to Implementation with new install optionsAbstract: The Zowe community has been hard at work incorporating user feedback to make installation a perfect fit for your organization.
We’re excited to introduce several new installation options, such as the Zowe Server Install Wizard, designed to simplify and streamline the installation process. It transforms what was once a daunting task into a straightforward, user-friendly experience, ensuring that even those new to open systems can get Zowe operational with ease. This installer is empowered by a renewed commitment to simplified documentation and sample jobs that can be reviewed at any step of installation with new dry-run capabilities.
This session discusses different personas and their preferred methods for Zowe installation. We will also review of performance improvements and recommended configuration features. By the end of this session, you'll be equipped with the knowledge to confidently install, configure, and utilize Zowe, empowering your organization to begin or accelerate your mainframe modernization journey. Don’t miss this opportunity to simplify your Zowe journey and stay ahead in the evolving landscape of mainframe technology. Sean Grady, Rocket Software | Call to Action: Join the SIG OpenTelemetry on MainframeAbstract: OpenTelemetry is a key component of the new observability stack. With effective observability, companies gain a better insight into their often-complex distributed applications and can react more quickly to revenue impacting problems. Research among mainframe customers shows that mainframe integration is a mandatory requirement for the new observability stack. OpenTelemetry provides the technical requirements for extracting and converting signals from any source and distributing them flexibly to any backend. The OpenTelemetry project and the Open Mainframe Project jointly founded the new Special Interest Group (SIG) "OpenTelemetry on Mainframe" at the beginning of the year. The goal of this group is to enable OpenTelemetry for the mainframe to standardize and simplify the export of mainframe telemetry. Join this session to learn more about OpenTelemetry, the SIG's activities and the areas where we invite you to contribute to improving the OpenTelemetry support on the mainframe. Rudiger Schulze, IBM |
| 2:30 pm | Is that Available on the Mainframe? An Open Source Software JourneyAbstract: The modern rise of open source software on the mainframe has increased innovation and collaboration on the platform in a way we’ve never seen before. But as a user or developer on the platform, how do you keep track of all these new projects? And how do you see whether an interesting new open source tool you found works on mainframes? And does it work on IBM z/OS, or just Linux? In this talk I’ll explore some of the consolidation efforts to make it easier to search for open source projects like the Open Mainframe Project Software Discovery Tool and the Open Mainframe Project Interactive Landscape. From there I’ll highlight some of the vendor-driven open source repositories that are available, and where to find those. I’ll conclude by sharing some best practices for figuring out how to find out for yourself whether something works on the platform, from keywords to search for to simply giving it a try yourself. Elizabeth Joseph, IBM | Making a Case for COBOL – Time to Shout about it!Abstract: COBOL's quiet efficiency and fitness for purpose has kept it running great chunks of the economy, without fuss, for 65 years. But is its humble brilliance the cause of a near existential crisis? In its 65th anniversary year, and using fresh input from those who use every day, we ask - is it time to shout about COBOL all over again? Reg Harbeck, Mainframe Analytics ltd. |
| 3:00 pm | From 3270 Interfaces to IDEs and GUIsAbstract: We want and need to inspire young talent for the mainframe. This will be difficult if we first have to teach them how to use 3270 interfaces and TSO/ISPF. It will be much easier if we can use graphical interfaces that the young talents have already mastered. We try to convince our customers that getting started quickly is easier and more efficient if you use the new technologies that are available on the mainframe! Wolfram Greis, European Mainframe Academy | Crowdsourcing Mainframe EducationAbstract: Open Mainframe Project has education opportunities that has helped more than 200 students, new developers and engineers looking for a refresher. Whether it is the hands-on COBOL Programming Course, Mainframe Open Education focusing on ‘open sourcing’ mainframe learning roadmaps and community knowledge transfer, or the Mentorship program, there is something for everyone. Join us to learn (pun intended!) about the educational opportunities offered through the Open Mainframe Project and how you can get involved either as a student or a teacher/mentor. J.J. Lovett - Broadcom; Michael Bauer - Broadcom; Elizabeth Joseph - IBM |
| 3:30 pm | z/OS Open Tools – Modernizing z/OS through Open SourceAbstract: In this session, we will discuss the benefits of using open-source tooling on z/OS and how it can help organizations to improve their efficiency, security, and innovation. We will cover the latest updates, including newly released tools, git, githubcli, gitlab, jq, gpg and more! We will also discuss the new zopen package manager, which allows developers and system administrators to efficiently manage their z/OS Open Tools installations. Finally, we will discuss the newly released IBM product, IBM Open Enterprise Foundation for z/OS, which provides support for 8 core tools (Git, Bash, Curl, Vim, Less, Perl, Ncurses) z/OS Open Tools documentation: https://zosopentools.github.io/meta Igor Todorovski, IBM Canada | Mainframes for the New GenerationAbstract: Mainframe systems serve as the backbone of critical financial processes around the world, yet there's a shortage of skilled mainframe professionals and a waning interest among the new generation of software engineers. Is there a fix to this dilemma? How can we implement mainframe modernization for the new generation? Jessielaine Punongbyan, Dynatrace |
| 4:00 pm | Build Your Zowe Skills!Abstract: Your modern mainframe career needs Zowe Skills, so BUILD THEM UP! Join Open Mainframe Project Ambassador Darren Surch for a walk through the OMP's massive array of at-your-fingertips Zowe training resources including Zowe Docs, YouTube Channel, Zowe code, Free Trials, Blogs and a Slack Channel! There are even structured online Zowe courses which earn you a bragworthy Open Mainframe Project digital badge to show the world your Zowe skills! Darren Surch, Interskill | How is Integration Testing in Hybrid Cloud Possible?Abstract: This talk explores the challenges and solutions associated with conducting integration testing in hybrid cloud environments, where applications span both on-premises (z/OS) and cloud infrastructures. Focused on the innovative Galasa open-source project, the discussion delves into how Galasa addresses the complexities of hybrid cloud testing, offering a comprehensive framework for validating the interoperability of diverse components. Attendees will gain insights into practical strategies, best practices, and real-world examples, empowering them to effectively navigate the intricacies of integration testing in the evolving landscape of hybrid cloud computing. Gerald Mitchell, IBM |
| 4:30 pm | Empowering Mainframe Modernization: Leveraging SRE Expertise with Zowe or AnsibleAbstract: In this session, we will delve into the essential role of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) in modernizing Mainframe systems, highlighting key tools such as Zowe, Ansible, Python, and VSCode. Join us to discover how SRE principles and open source tools can be applied to improve Mainframe reliability, efficiency, and scalability. Jan Prihoda, Broadcom | Today’s COBOL – What you should know!Abstract: In this session Sudharsana Srinivasan, the co-chair for the COBOL Programming Course and Michael Bauer (Broadcom) will discuss how this Open Mainframe Project has been shifting perception about COBOL in the community over the past 4 years by bringing in test automation, CI/CD pipeline, etc to the course. You don't want to miss this session, if you want to learn how this course is enabling our application developers, our next generation of technologists with the latest tools. You don't have to take my word for it, you can hear firsthand from our summer mentorship program mentee Rituraj Mahato! Sudharsana Srinivasan- IBM; Michael Bauer - Broadcom |
| 5:00 pm | Turbocharging the Mainframe Developer Experience with Zowe and Code4zAbstract: Visual Studio Code is a top choice for today’s developers and cloud development environments (CDEs) are gaining traction but these tools have been inaccessible to developers of z/OS-based applications, until now. With Zowe and Code4z, mainframe developers are free to use these powerful tools wherever their source code resides (e.g., Git, mainframe SCM, datasets). Streamlined code navigation alone provides a compelling reason to adopt VS Code, or a compatible CDE, and with AI assistance and platform engineering rapidly emerging, teams should prepare themselves by adopting contemporary AppDev tools like these. The Code4z extension pack includes the Zowe Explorer that streamlines interaction with mainframe data sets, USS files, and jobs while Zowe CLI-enabled automations are easily accessed and run. Join this session to see the Zowe- and Code4z-enabled workflows, from discover to deploy, in action. Vaughn Marshall, Broadcom | z/OS Open Tools V8 Port Needs your Help!Abstract: The IBM open source organization, "z/OS Open Tools", hosts a collection of Linux tools that are ported to z/OS Unix System Services. A recent addition to the collection is Google’s Chromium V8 JavaScript engine and supporting tools. Successfully porting the engine and tools required a collaborative effort between Broadcom and IBM. Ongoing efforts to upstream the work to Google are in progress. Additional work needs to be done to complete the port - not all features work to the same degree as on other platforms. This joint talk with Igor Todorovski of IBM is to publicize the effort and seek contributions from other developers. This is an opportunity to contribute to open source projects that benefit the whole z/OS Open Tools and USS community. John Davis, Broadcom |
If you have questions, please email techxchange@openmainframeproject.org.
Open Mainframe Project is planning the content for October 21 as it pertains to the Community Day. The Linux Foundation and Open Mainframe Project are not managing TechXchange. The main TechXchange event is planned and managed by IBM. Learn more about TechXchange here.
